Religious diversity definition and meaning - Collins Dictionary The exclusivist-inclusivist-pluralist trichotomy has become standard since the 1980s. Appropriating Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian language, Smith says that this spirit is the Atman that is Brahman, the Buddha-nature that appears when our finite selves get out of its way, my istigkeit (is-ness) whichwe see is Gods is-ness. (Smith 2003 ch. Presumably not, as she already believes in levels of truth and levels of reality. The following are the characteristics of diversity: Linguistic Diversity Regional Diversity Religious Diversity Linguistic Diversity This patient's religious beliefs have led him to pursue mindfulness and meditation as ways of . marriage and civil partnership. For example, millennials, GenZers and GenXers can coexist in the same workplace. On the one hand, it is difficult to consistently distinguish inclusivism from exclusivism, because the latter nearly always concedes some significant value to other religions. In contrast, exclusivist approaches say that only one religion is uniquely valuable. Diversity can include characteristics such as cultural background and ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, language and education. All Christians believe that some were saved before Christianity, through Judaism. The tradition now called Hinduism is and always has been very internally diverse. What are the types of diversity? - Workable Finally, Hick revises his view: the monotheistic gods people experience are mental projections in response to the Real, and not real selves, but since religious people really do encounter great selves in religious experience, we should posit personal intermediaries between humans and the Real, with whom religious people interact. The Religious Diversity Index is divided into four ranges: very high (the top 5% of scores), high (the next highest 15% of scores, which works out to 16% because of tie scores), moderate (the next 20% of scores) and low (the bottom 59% of scores). Race | Equality, Diversity & Inclusion - University of Cambridge Religion and belief includes: Atheists Agnostics Bah' Buddhists Christians. However, he thought that it is arbitrary and indefensible to hold that only ones own experiences or the experiences of those in ones group are veridical, while those of people in other religions are not. Thus, for example, the earliest Buddhist and Christian sources prominently feature staunch criticisms of various rival teachings and practices as, respectively, false and useless or harmful. However, they nearly always have at least one criterion for excluding religions as inferior in the aspect(s) they focus on. Such would be the work of a religiously embedded and committed theology of religious diversity, not of a general philosophy of religious diversity. Must the Mahayanist make any significant revision to accept the proposed threefold reality of Emptiness, gods, and lords? Second, the claim that meaningfulness requires the possibility of empirical verification has little to recommend it, and is self-refuting (that is, the claim itself is not empirically verifiable). (Griffin 2005a) They do, however, take seriously at least many of the unusual religious experiences people report. For instance, some religions teach that the ultimate reality (the most real, only real, or primary thing) is ineffable (such that no human concept can apply to it). Finally, some authors use descriptive religious pluralism to mean what is here called religious diversity, calling normative religious pluralism views that are here called varieties of religious pluralism. While the trichotomy has been repeatedly challenged, it is still widely used, and can be precisely defined in various ways. At the same time, they argued that many people who are outside the one church cannot be blamed for this, and so will not be condemned by God. 1) Race as a negative social construct: physical appearance is used to discriminate, to exclude, to exploit, to abuse, and/or to profile, as in educational systems, traffic and criminal systems, housing and banking/mortgage lending, and medical care. (Stenmark 2009) He does not advocate this view, but explores it as an alternative to exclusivism, inclusivism, and Hickian identist pluralism. On the Plurality of Religious Pluralisms., Long, Jeffery D. Anekanta Vedanta: Towards a Deep Hindu Religious Pluralism., Long, Jeffery D. Universalism in Hinduism., Mawson, T.J. Byrnes religious pluralism., Meeker, Kevin. Still other Catholic theologians have found these moves to be positive but not nearly different enough from the more pessimistic sort of exclusivism. A typical Rabbinic view is that although non-Jews may be reconciled to God, and thus gain life in the world to come, by keeping a lesser covenant which God has made with them, still Jews enjoy a better covenant with God. (Burton 2010; Kiblinger 2005; and section 4c below) But in modern times, some have constructed a novel and distinctively Buddhist pluralism using the Mahayana doctrine of expedient means (Sanskrit: upaya). Religion diversity can simply refer to the development of religions that depend on the cultures. Instead, it is the view that all religions are valid, meaning that they have some degree of (some kind of) value. The latter two classes of beings, but not the first, may be described as personal.. But one may talk also of negative religious pluralism in which most or all religions have little or no positive value and are equal in this respect. "Exploring the Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - LinkedIn Concept and Characteristics of Diversity: Linguistic, Regional & Religious Among these purported facts, for Hick, is that the great religions equally well facilitate the ethical transformation of their adherents, what Hick calls a transformation from self-centeredness to other-centeredness and Reality-centeredness. An increasingly prominent and potentially contentious phenomenon, religious diversity is intimately associated with contemporary issues such as migration, human rights, social cohesion, socio-cultural pluralisation, political jurisdiction, globalisation, and reactionary . Religious diversity is the fact that there are significant differences in religious belief and practice. You are protected under the Equality Act 2010 from these types of discrimination. Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs One prominent scholar argues that the neo-Hindu position on religious diversity (that is, modern Hindu pluralism) is not the view that all religions are equal, one, true, or the same. It can be argued that Abe is an inclusivist, maintaining that Buddhism is the best religion, rather than a true pluralist. As a relative latecomer which has always acknowledged the legitimacy of previous prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, while proclaiming its prophet to be the greatest and last, Islam has, like Judaism, tended towards inclusivist views of other religions. (Prothero 2010). Monotheists, after all, take the ultimate being to be a personal god while others, variously called ultimists, absolutists, or monists, hold the ultimate to be impersonal, such as the Dao, Emptiness, Nirguna Brahman, and so forth. A more inclusive and equitable workplace can lead to increased employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. Nevertheless, the homeownership rate is on the rise among Asian Americans, increasing from 53% in 2000 to 59% in 2019. Recently called restrictivism, this position insists that explicit knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation, and there is no hope for those who die without having heard the gospel. (Heim 1995, 154-5, 161) This is an important qualifier, as various religious goals clearly presuppose contrary claims. But these lesser ways should and eventually will give way to Christianity, the truest religion, intended for all humankind. Later on, Hick firmly settled on the view that this Real should be thought of as ineffable. Religious Pluralism and the Some-Are-Equally-Right View., Yandell, Keith. Colour includes, for example, being black or white. It is hard to see, then, how his theory enables one to be, as Hick claimed to be, a pluralistic Christian, given that one has replaced the diagnosis and cure of Christianity with those of Hicks pluralism. PDF How would you define diversity? - UNC Gillings School of Global Public (b. (OConnor 1999; King 2008; Bogardus 2013), Others object that given the transcategoriality or ineffability of the Real, even with the above qualifications, there is no reason to think that interaction with the Real should be ethically beneficial, or that it should have any connection at all to any religious value. If a religion cures only a shallow, derivative human problem, leaving the deeper problem intact, then what it offers would not deserve the name salvation, for it would leave those who achieve it still in need of the cure. Definition of the Religion as a Form of Diversity Essay - Free Essays What about the religions practices are they all complementary? A similar pluralism is advanced by Japanese Zen scholar Masao Abe (1915-2006). (Legenhausen 2009), The term religious pluralism is almost always used for a theory asserting positive value for many or most religions. Protected characteristics | Equality and Human Rights Commission 7). Some characteristics of religion are the worship of gods or prophets, beliefs in a system of norms and values, symbology or places of worship. At bare minimum, the slogan that all religions are true means that all religions are in some way directed towards one Truth, where this is understood as an ultimate reality. A common form of negative pluralism may be called verificationist pluralism. This is the view that all religious claims are meaningless, and as a result are incapable of rational evaluation. When it comes to freedom of religion, it matters how people of faith are spoken of in politics and the media. Theorists nearly always loosen the requirement with regard to what they view as the one most true and/or most effective religion. Diversity refers to all of the ways in which people differ, including primary characteristics, such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, mental and physical abilities, and sexual orientation; and secondary characteristics, such as nationality, education, income, religion, work experience, language skills, geographic location, family status, sexual orientation. Spiritual and Religious Diversity | Consumer Enablement Guide (Cohn-Sherbok 2005). Legenhausen, Hajj Muhammad [Gary Carl] Why I am not a Traditionalist. 2002. U. S. A. More Empathy We could loosely paraphrase Hicks view as being that all religions are false, not that all their teachings are false (for there is much ethical and practical agreement among them), but rather that their core claims about the main object of religious experience and pursuit equally contain falsehoods. Nonetheless, the Roman Catholic church remains the unique divine instrument; no one is saved without some positive relation to it. (Netland 2001; Burton 2010). Or what sense would it make for an Orthodox Jew, whose religion teaches him to be fruitful and multiply, to employ the Buddhist practice of viewing corpses at a burial ground so as to expunge the unwanted liability of sexual desire? Diversity definition: what do we mean by diversity in the workplace? But doesnt Christian tradition demand that each person eventually either achieves fellowship or union with God, or is irrevocably damned? It is not Reasonable to Believe that Only One Religion is True., Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. 2013, 333) For instance, if Theravada Buddhism is correct that humans are trapped in the cycle of rebirth by craving and ignorance, even if one goes to a heavenly realm upon death, such as envisaged by non-Buddhist religions, one is still trapped in samsara, in this realm of suffering, albeit at a higher tier. Some philosophers, going against the much-discussed identist pluralism of John Hick (see 2e above) use exclusivism to mean reasonable and informed religious belief which is not pluralist. It has been objected that this theory is not promising because it is hard to see how we could ever have sufficient evidence for some of its claims, while others are implausible in light of the evidence we do have. Other Buddhists experience Amida Buddha, while Christians experience Christ, and Jews Yahweh, Hindus Isvara, and Muslims Allah. (For others see Hick 2004, Introduction.). (Sharma 1979) But if there is no one clear modern Hindu pluralism, it remains that various modern Indian thinkers have held to versions of core or identist pluralism. Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic These connections between theory and character which are believed by some to provide practical arguments for or objections to various theories need to be argued for. Judaism and Other Faiths., Datta, Narendra [Swami Vivekananda]. This unified consistency may be hoped for in terms of truth, or in terms of practice. Immigrant Asians were slightly more likely than U.S.-born Asians to be homeowners in 2019 (60% vs. 56%). Several caveats must be issued when observing religions across the world prior to describing the demographic characteristics of large religious groupings and highlighting their internal diversity. In the first case, a person who is killed in an accident on her way to be baptized would nonetheless be in the church. (Smart 1996) Religious traditions differ along all these dimensions. (Neuner and Dupuis 2001, 329), Since the Vatican II council (1962-5), many Catholic theologians have embraced what most philosophers will consider some form of inclusivism rather than a suitably qualified exclusivism, with a minority opting for some sort of pluralism. It's also important because in the 21st century there are global problems and issues which seemingly have religious origins and which will take a concerted effort of people of different faiths to help resolve. In response to his claims that non-pluralistic religious believers are being arrogant, irrational, or arbitrary in believing that one religion (theirs) is the most true one, it has been pointed out that Hick too, as a religious pluralist, holds views which are inconsistent with many or most religions, seemingly preferring his own insights or experiences to theirs, which would, by Hicks own lights, be just as arrogant, irrational, or arbitrary. (Heim 1995, 7). 2; see section 3c below). In this article, religious pluralism refers to a theory about the diversity of religions. As to religious diversity, Abe suggests that we view the dynamic activity Emptiness (also called Openness) as ultimate, and as manifesting as various Gods, that is various monotheistic deities, and Lords, which are human religious teachers, whether manifestations of a god, as in the case of Jesus, or just pre-eminent servants of a god, as with Moses or Muhammad. Among young adults (age 18 to 29), the most common religious identity today is none; more than one in three (34 percent) young adults are religiously unaffiliated. While there have been Buddhist teachers and movements who have been exclusivists, in general Buddhism has been inclusivist. Research on religious diversity has found that when the percentage of a dominant religion and religious diversity are both included, the proportion of the dominant religion is an arithmetic component of the religious diversity measure (Chaves and Gorski 2001; Olson 1999), resulting in a misspecified model. (Legenhausen 2002). In this and in a later book Heim asserts that such a plurality of ordained religious goals is implied by the doctrine of the Trinity. (Krkkinen 2003; Netland 2001) The most famous of these has been the view (held by some Christians) that all non-Christians are doomed to an eternity of conscious suffering in hell. Inclusivism for some authors just means a friendlier or more open-minded exclusivism. A common strategy here is to simply ignore disreputable religious traditions, only discussing the prestigious ones. Literature since 1950 focuses on the truth or rationality of religious teachings, the veridicality (conformity with reality) of religious experiences, salvific efficacy (the ability to deliver whatever cure religion should provide), and alleged directedness towards one and the same ultimate religious object. Characteristics of cultural diversity : Multiplicity of cultures Each worldview is the product of the individual development of a people. 2) He was what we now call a pluralistic Hindu (and most Hindus would add that he was also an unorthodox Hindu). Insofar as they in good conscience practice what is good in their religion, people in other religions receive Gods grace and are anonymous Christians, people who are being saved through Christ, though they do not realize it. (Sharma 1999, ch. 6). If the core is veridical experiences, all religions will enable ways to perceive whatever the objects of religious experience are. It is here described as Identist pluralism because his theory claims that people in all the major religions interact with one and the same transcendent reality, variously called God, the Real, and the Ultimate Reality., Hick viewed religious belief as rationally defensible, and held that one may be rational in trusting the veridicality of ones religious experiences. These qualities include but are not limited to: being humble, reasonable, kind, broad-minded, open-minded, informed, cosmopolitan, modern, properly appreciative of difference, non-bigoted, tolerant, being opposed to proselytizing (attempts to convince those outside the religion to convert to it), anti-colonialist, and anti-imperialist. This sort of pluralism, following Gunon and Schuon, has been championed by Iranian philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr (b. There are three serious problems with verificationist pluralism. Here we can survey only a few of the criticisms that have been made. All religions, then, are equal in that they are responses to the ineffable Ultimate Reality which equally wellor for all we can tell equally wellbring about an ethical improvement in humans, away from self-centeredness and towards other humans and the Ultimate Reality. While this is compatible with some religion being the best in some other respect(s), the theorists using this label have in mind that many religions are equal regarding the central value(s) of religion. Equality, diversity and inclusion in the Workplace - CIPD (Burton 2010), In much religious studies, theology, and philosophy of religion literature of the 1980s through the 2000s, the term religious pluralism means the theory of philosopher John Hick. Religious Diversity in the Workplace: Definition & Laws John Cobbs Whiteheadian Complementary Pluralism., Hasker, William. Now that the time is right, the truth may be told, that is, Mahayana doctrine, superseding the old. Although you may be nervous about broaching the subject, it is important to discuss religious diversity so . Some have urged that it be replaced by the more neutral terms particularism or restrictivism. (Netland 2001, 46; Krkkinen 2003, 80-1) This article retains the common term because it is widespread and many have adopted the label for their own theory of religious diversity. In other contexts, religious pluralism is a normative principle requiring that peoples of all or most religions should be treated the same. 3. If, for example, in his view Allah, Vishnu, and Yahweh are all real and distinct, is Hick thereby committed to polytheism? They hope that each religion can, while remaining distinct, begin to construct global theologies, influenced by the truths and values of other religions. It is a mistake to think that the ultimate is any substantial, self-identical thing, even an ineffable one. Furthermore, Hindu thought has shifted in modern times from a scriptural to an experiential emphasis. One may object that this above proposal is counter to the equalizing spirit of pluralism. It offers a fall from primordial spirituality into modern spiritual poverty, cured by adopting the outlook sketched above. The underlying metaphysics here is that of process philosophy, in which events are the basic or fundamental units of reality. The gods and lords will stay at the provisional levels of truth and reality, the levels which a fully enlightened person, as it were, sees beyond. However, God has ordained Nirvana as a goal suitable for some non-Christians to both pursue and attain. With truth, the problem is that it is hard to see how the core claims of the religions could all be true. His theory is at least superficially clear, and is rooted in his own spiritual journey. A Muslims Proposal: Non-Reductive Religious Pluralism. 2006. Religious and Spiritual Diversity | The Office of Diversity, Inclusion Religious pluralism in some contexts means an informed, tolerant, and appreciative or sympathetic view of the various religions. Spiritual and Religious Diversity Religious and spiritual beliefs can be a personal determinant of enablement. Diversity in religion is one of the world's strengths, not one of its weaknesses. For example, both Christians and Buddhists have adopted religious-diversity-celebrating rhetoric while clearly denying anything described above in this article as a kind of pluralism about religious diversity. Contrary to widespread depictions of religious blocs of uniform practices, values and concerns, it is essential to emphasize the plurality of . Many people associate any sort of pluralist theory of religious diversity with a number of arguably good qualities. (Hick 2004, ch. No Wasted Journey: A Theological Autobiography., Stenmark, Mikael. In contrast, any non-pluralist theory of religious diversity is associated with many arguably bad qualities. Differing people, perspectives, topics, ideas, etc. Such theologians, prominently Hans Kng (b. Some authors, usually ones who wish to celebrate these facts, call them religious pluralism, but this entry reserves this label for a family of theories about the facts of religious diversity. Finally, because of their fit with many traditional religious beliefs and commitments, sometimes exclusivism and inclusivism are considered as two varieties of confessionalism, views on which one religion istrue andwe must view other religions in the light of that fact. (Byrne 2004, 203). Worldwide, more than eight-in-ten people identify with a religious group. How can a Theravada Buddhists accept that such a heavenly next life is a good and final end for non-Buddhists? Such an outlook, often called the perennial philosophy or traditionalism, owes much to nineteenth and twentieth century occult literature, and to neo-Platonism and its early modern revivals. Further, it respects and does not try to eliminate all these differences, and so makes genuine dialogue between members of the religions possible. (Dupuis 2000, 165-170) A key area of disagreement is whether or not these imply that a person may be saved by means of their participation in some other religion. (On the majority inclusivism, see section 4b below.) (OConnor 1999) This exclusivism is compatible with both exclusivism and inclusivism in this article. Has Normative Religious Pluralism a Rationale?. (Plantinga 1999, 288-303), Subsequent papal statements have moved cautiously in Rahners direction, affirming the work of the Holy Spirit not only in the people in other religions, but also in those religions themselves, so that in the practice of what is good in those religions, people may respond to Gods grace and be saved, unbeknownst to them, by Christ. Characteristically Religious Feelings Awe, a sense of mystery, a sense of guilt, and adoration are "religious feelings" which tend to be aroused in religious believers when they come in the presence of sacred objects, in sacred places, and during the practice of sacred rituals. Religious and spiritual understanding and beliefs about medicine and healthcare may support or conflict with evidence-based medicine. In all these ways, they argue that their ultimist pluralism is superior to other pluralisms. Heim strenuously objects to pluralist theories that they impose uniformity on the various religions. (Netland 2001, 23-54) Theories of religious diversity have largely been driven by attacks on and defenses of such claims, and discussions continue within the realm of Christian theology. Religious Diversity | Encyclopedia.com (Dupuis 2001, 170-9; Neuner and Dupuis 2001, 350-1). Religious Pluralism., Schmidt-Leukel, Perry. (Sometimes, however, Hick makes the weaker claim that were unable to pick any religion as best at effecting this transformation.) Catholics are exhorted to patient, friendly dialogue with members of other religions. sex. We should respect freedom of religion by rejecting the kinds of false and damaging claims that are sometimes made about religion, especially Islam. (Legenhausen 2006, 2009). The traditional Islamic perspective is that while in one sense Islam was initiated by Muhammad (570-632 CE), Islam in the sense of submission to God was taught by all prior prophets, and so their followers were truly Muslims, that is, truly submitted to God. Judaism is . Facts and Theories of Religious Diversity, Abe, Masao. (Hasker 2011) At first Hick evades the issue of polytheism by describing his theory not as a kind of polytheism, but rather as poly-something. He then suggests that two views of the personae are compatible with his theory: that they are mental projections, or that they are real, but angel- or deva like beings, intermediaries and not really gods. (Hick 1995, ch. Exclusivism, Pluralism, and Anarchy.. Though naive pluralisms are not common amongst scholars in relevant fields, they are important to mention because they are entertained by many people as they begin to reflect on religious diversity. For example, all non-Christians go to hell, or all non-Buddhists fail to gain Nirvana, or to make progress towards it. Thus, Christian exclusivists usually allow that those who die as babies, the severely mentally handicapped, or friends of God who lived before Christian times may avoid hell and attain heaven despite their not being fully-fledged, believing and practicing Christians. 3) The highest level in some sense is the human Spirit, the deep self which underlies the self of ordinary experience. They can also influence components of enablement. This, he will not do. It has been typical also for Buddhist thinkers to hold that at best, the same is true of other religious traditions. All such religious mystics really perceive a personal, supreme God, understood panentheistically, as being in the cosmos, akin to how a soul is in a body. Appropriating Immanuel Kants distinction between phenomena, how things appear, and noumena, things in themselves, Hick postulated that the Real is ineffable and is not directly experienced by anyone. Another, without saying that people may be saved through membership in them, affirms various positive values in other religions, including true teachings, which serve as divinely ordained preparations for reception the gospel.

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